What's the status of claim commissioner, HC asks DMRC

The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Delhi Metro to appraise it on the status of appointment of claims commissioner in the DMRC, to decide the claims of accident victims.

Justice Manmohan asked the metro's counsel to take instructions from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on appointment of a claims commissioner and the reason why the commissioner was not appointed.

The court's direction came while hearing the plea of a mother who lost her son in an accident when he was climbing down the escalator at Chawri Bazar metro station.

The mother is seeking Rs.10 lakh compensation from the DMRC.

Asiya Begum moved the court saying the DMRC rejected her application of claims in March last year reasoning that it was not the metro's fault and her son died due to his own negligence.

During the hearing, the DMRC counsel told the court that it has a policy of giving Rs.2 lakh compensation to victims who become handicapped due to accidents and Rs.4 lakh to those who lose their lives.

However, the petitioner's application was rejected because her son died due to his own negligence, the lawyer said.

Khan Mohammad (25) was travelling on the metro Dec 11, 2011 with a valid ticket. While climbing down the escalator and due to a huge crowd, he fell down the escalator which resulted in his death, the plea said.

"It is the duty of metro authorities to have arranged adequate staff to prevent any mishaps at the metro stations in which they failed, and there being no proper medical support available Khan died. It is authority's duty to compensate for the same," the plea said.